Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust
by cabbageoriley
Summary: Never trust a pixie. When Derek and Stiles are struck with pixie charms, they wake up in a world where everything has changed. Fem!Stiles, Human AU, no fire, All the parents are alive (Mama Stilinski, Mr. and Mrs. Hale), Baby on the way (but it's not mpreg since it's fem!Stiles)


Derek pushes Stiles ahead of him as the pixies gain on them. He feels stupid for running away from the little blue figures, but they are seriously freaking him out. And, the next time something supernatural crosses onto pack territory, he is not telling anybody. Stiles always insists on tagging along, and Derek ends up having to save him instead of focusing on the problem. Stiles starts to fall, and Derek grabs him. He throws the boy's arm over his shoulder and keeps running.

"Derek, I don't feel right," he slurs. He's been hit with a charm, and, whatever it is, it's starting to take effect.

"Keep going."

When the ball of magic energy makes contact with Derek's back, he is thrown forward onto his stomach and is completely covered in glittering sand. Stiles flies forward and skids to a stop in a pile of leaves. Then, Derek is sliding. He's sliding off a cliff that he knows for a fact wasn't there a minute ago.

He grabs onto a tree trunk, but it's just a sapling and begins to bend under his weight. He tries to call out to Stiles. The boy is as weak as the wolf is, but he stands and staggers over to him. The earth beneath his feet begins to crumble, and the soil hits into Derek's face.

"Sorry," Stiles mumbles as he tries to blink his eyes into focus. He kneels down and reaches for Derek's hand. He holds onto the tops of Derek's hands, but the alpha is too scared to let go of the cliff.

"You can't hold me up. You're not strong enough." The cliff begins to slip from his grasp, and he hates the yelp that leaves his lips.

"Trust me, Derek."

"You can't do it." The ground crumbles. Derek latches onto Stiles' hands and shuts his eyes as he begins to slip lower into the void beneath him.

Stiles clamps his hands around Derek's and pulls with all the strength he has left. He starts to slide forward and tries to dig his feet into the ground.

"You can't do it!" Derek looks down into the darkness beneath him and begins to feel queasy. The air is swirling like a vortex sucking him in. "Get back, Stiles."

"I'm not letting go," he whimpers.

And he doesn't, not even when the ground is gone and they are both plummeting into the nothingness.

When Derek opens his eyes, all he can see is tan. He's in a tan room, and, from what he can tell from how he's laying, it must be a bedroom. He closes his eyes and tries to remember how he got there… Nothing. How can he not remember anything? Something must have happened, but what?

Derek realizes he can't move his arm when he tries to sit up. There is something attached to his arm. He pulls the floral print covers down and sees… There is a sleeping woman attached to his arm. She's clinging to it like she's holding on for dear life.

He rests his head back on the pillow. He really should remember falling asleep in a beautiful woman's bed, but everything is a complete blank.

"What's going on?" he thinks aloud. Hearing his voice the woman stirs. She opens her eyes and gasps. She forces herself away from Derek so quickly that she slides off the bed and lands on the floor with a thud. Seconds later a bloodcurdling scream pierces the air.

Derek jerks back and covers his ears. He can hear the woman beginning to hyperventilate. Very cautiously, he crawls over the bed and peers down at the woman. Her lip quivers as she cries and flaps her hands around her chest.

"Are you okay?"

She takes a shuddering breath and forces out a pitiful "no".

"Um… who are you?" With that she begins to completely bawl. Ok, maybe that wasn't the best thing to ask the woman you apparently spent the night with. He continues to look down at her. "I'm sorry. That was horrible. I'm not usually a jerk."

The woman laughs as she sits up against the night stand. "Oh yeah right. Don't even try to pretend you're not a jerk. You've slammed me against things too many times for me to fall for that."

He looks into her deep brown eyes and he finally realizes who he's talking to. "Ho-oly crap! Stiles?!"

Stiles covers her face with her hands so Derek can't see her cry. Derek gets off the bed and kneels in front of her.

"Stiles, ok, calm down. I don't want you to have a panic attack."

"I look like a freakin' lady; I think I'm entitled to a panic attack."

Derek nods in agreement. "Do you remember what happened?"

Stiles takes a deep breath and looks at Derek. "I don't know. We were with the pack…"

Derek sits down and rests against the bed. "And now you're a woman."

To no one in particular Stiles mumbles, "I guess I'm finally attractive to guys now…"

Derek lets his eyes wander over her flawless skin and wavy honey-brown hair. Her lips are soft and pink, and her body really is amazing under those polka dot pajamas. It feels like… it feels like this is right- like this is how it's always been.

Stiles turns her head to look at Derek and sees him staring. "What?"

He quickly averts his eyes. "This is weird." Derek sighs as he stares at the floor. "So, we were with the pack…"

Stiles massages her temples as if that will help her remember something. "We were looking for something weren't we?"

"When aren't we looking for something?"

"True." Stiles laughs but it dies in her throat. She wraps her arms around her stomach.

"You okay?" Derek is concerned by the sudden change.

"Yeah." Stiles smiles at him.

"You look pale…" Derek reaches out and puts a hand on her cheek. "You're clammy."

"I think I'm going to throw up." Stiles stands up and quickly darts out of the door and turns to the right down the hallway. Within seconds she is running back by the door heading in the opposite direction. Derek can't help but laugh when she runs back by screaming 'I can't find the bathroom!'

Derek stands up and walks into the hallway. He is overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia, and he knows where he and Stiles are. He rushes down to the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

"We're in my house!"

Stiles doesn't move from her spot in front of the toilet and doesn't release her death grip on it. "Hooray."

Derek about jumps out of his skin when there's a knock on the door. He should have been able to tell that someone was there, but… There's another knock and Derek opens the door. He is the one that almost throws up when he sees who is standing there.

"Laura?" Derek squeaks.

"The one and only." She pulls Derek out of the bathroom and closes the door so Stiles will have some privacy. "How's Stiles?"

"He'll… I, um, She'll be fine… Laura?"

"Yeah baby brother. You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You have no idea." Derek reaches out a shaky hand to touch her, to make sure she's real, but he pulls back before he does. He clears his throat. "This can't be happening."

"Gotta admit you're kinda scaring me, Derek." She steps back from him a little. "What are you talking about?"

"Peter. Uncle Peter killed you to become alpha."

"Okay, first, I have no idea what an alpha is." Derek looks down at his hand as he tries to change. Nothing… "Second, Uncle Peter couldn't hurt a fly. Plus, hey, I'm alive, so you were clearly dreaming."

"Dreaming?"

"Uh, yeah. Welcome back to reality. Now, since we've gotten all of that straightened out, go tend to your wife and meet us downstairs for breakfast. Mom is making waffles."

Derek is frozen in place, staring after his sister with his mouth hanging open in complete shock. His brain has exploded. This place feels so right, but he knows for a fact that he didn't just dream everything that has happened. He can't decide what the strangest thing is- Laura's alive, she has no idea what werewolves are, he can't change into his werewolf form, he's apparently married to a very female Stiles, and his dead mother is making waffles.

He re-enters the bathroom and closes the door. All his strength leaves him, and he sinks down to the floor. "I don't know what's happening."

"Well, for one thing, I'm dying." Stiles stands up and splashes water onto her face.

"My mom is making waffles."

Stiles bends down and shakes Derek to get him to focus his eyes on her. "Your mother…"

"My mother is still alive and apparently very human because werewolves don't exist."

"But you're a werewolf."

"I tried to change… When Laura said she didn't know what an alpha was, I tried to change…"

"And did you?"

"What does a panic attack feel like, Stiles?"

"Derek, just breathe." She puts her hands on his face to force him to look at her. "You're not going to have a panic attack. We're going to figure all of this out. We have to." Stiles sighs when Derek starts to breathe easier. "Let's go downstairs and act as normal as possible. We'll go find Deaton and Scott and everybody after breakfast." She helps Derek stand up, and he walks out into the hallway.

Derek quickly turns and goes back in when Stiles yells 'oh my gosh!" "What's wrong?!" He sees Stiles standing in front of a mirror looking into it intently as she turns from side to side.

"I'm hott."

Derek smiles as he rolls his eyes. "Come on, Stiles."

"No, just look at me. I'm gorgeous, aren't I?"

"I'm not answering that."

He doesn't have to. Stiles can see the slight blush on his cheeks. "You think I'm pretty." She smiles.

"No, no I do not."

"Oh yes, yes you do." Stiles giggles with delight.

"You should not be enjoying this as much as you are." Derek groans.

"You like me. I'm irresistibly gorgeous." Stiles steps closer. "Derek thinks I'm pretty, Derek thinks I'm pretty," she chants.

"Stop it," Derek moans even though he is smiling.

"I like whatever universe we're in," Stiles admits. "This has never happened to me before."

"Maybe you just didn't see it before."

Stiles pauses and stares deep into Derek's eyes. She smiles, and it isn't one of those goofy smiles. This one makes her whole face light up. She grabs Derek and presses her lips against his lips.

When Derek begins to kiss back, it isn't like anything Stiles expected it to be. In everything, Derek is forceful and violent, but this… this isn't anything like that. Derek is gentle and takes his time. He slowly places his hand against her neck and threads his fingers through her hair. She is shorter than him in this strange universe, so he wraps his other arm around her waist and lifts her up. Stiles' legs immediately lift up and wrap around him tightly.

"Let's forget about breakfast," Stiles suggests, and they do.

Derek gently lays Stiles onto the bed and begins to pull off her pajamas. Her hand quickly stops him, and he looks at her with questioning eyes.

"I… I don't know how to do this. Not looking like this at least… I mean, I don't really have experience from either perspective, but…"

"But you want to? Right?"

"Definitely."

"Then trust me."

"I trust you, Sourwolf."

Stiles smiles as Derek kisses her before lying down beside her. "I could get used to this."

"I could, too," Derek laughs. He wraps his arm around Stiles and pulls her close.

"Oh gosh. You're a cuddler."

"I'm not a cuddler."

"You're cuddling me right now, thus, you're a cuddler."

Just then, Laura knocks on the door. "Come on guys. The food is cold, and we know what you've been doing. You're gross. We don't need to know that."

"We'll be down soon," Stiles replies. She slides away from Derek and out of bed. Finding a set of suitable clothes- she guesses-, she gets dressed. "Come on, Derek, let's get breakfast. I'm starving, and I want to meet your parents."

"Let's go find Deaton. He can help us get back to normal." Derek quickly pulls on some clothes and starts to open the window.

Stiles is beside him in an instant. "Wait, don't you want to see your family?"

"This isn't real."

"I know it's not, but… but Derek… They're your family. You won't have another chance to see them."

"Let's go."

Stiles grabs his arm. "Please, Derek. I'd give anything to see my mom again, even for just a second."

"I'm scared, Stiles," Derek states. It pains him to say it aloud. "I'm scared it's a trick, and I'll wake up before I get to hug them. Like it's one of the dreams I have every time I close my eyes."

"Derek…" Stiles doesn't know what to say.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this. Forget it. We're leaving."

"No, we're not." Stiles forcefully grabs Derek's hand and drags him downstairs.

Derek struggles against her until he sees his mother sitting at the table just like she used to. He completely freezes and softly whines. She looks up at him and frowns.

"Derek, what's wrong?"

All he seems to be able to do is stare at her, so Stiles speaks up. "Mrs. Hale, I think he needs a hug. He had a bad dream last night," Stiles explains.

"I'm sure he's too old for a hug from his mother."

"No… I…" Derek stutters.

Concerned about how he is acting, she gets up and walks to him. "Are you okay?" She hugs him tight, and Derek gasps a little. He sinks into her arms and uncharacteristically begins to cry. "Oh, baby, what happened?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so, so sorry. I never meant for anything bad to happen. If I would have known… I was so stupid."

"Derek, honey, it's okay. It was just a dream." She moves so she can look him in the eyes. "What was it?"

"A dream," Derek states.

"It was just a dream, baby."

The front door closes, and Derek turns his attention to the man who enters the room.

"Hey kiddo."

"Dad." Derek runs to him and grabs him. "I missed you."

"We just saw each other at dinner last night."

"It was a long night."

After they eat breakfast, Derek and Stiles head out to find Deaton. He's nowhere to be found.

…

"Stiles! Derek!" Scott shouts as he searches through the dark woods. They should be easy to find, but he can't pick up a scent, and he can't see them anywhere.

As the oldest and most experienced beta, Scott is in charge in Derek's absence. "Boyd, you head north." He points to his right.

"That's south."

Scott growls. "What. Ever." He points in the opposite direction. "Head north and search. Isaac, go south. Jackson and Lydia will go east, and Allison and I will go west. Erica, go get Deaton. If Stiles is hurt, we'll need him."

…

Soon, it's the next morning, and Derek wakes up only to find Stiles heaving in the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" Derek kneels beside her and rubs spiraling circles onto her back.

"Do girls usually do this?"

"I don't think so."

Stiles finishes and stands up to brush her teeth. When she turns around, Derek hugs her. "I wanna go home, Derek."

"I know. We'll find Deaton. We'll find someone who can help us."

"It was pixies." She clarifies herself when Derek looks at her strangely. "In the woods, we were chasing pixies, or they were chasing us. They did this to us."

"Are you sure?" Derek watches as Stiles shakes her head 'yes'. "I still can't remember what happened."

"You will. It's coming back slowly for me, too."

Derek hugs her tightly again, and they walk down to breakfast. They sit beside each other as the rest of Derek's family sits down to eat. Stiles moves to food around on her plate but doesn't eat anything. Mrs. Hale notices this and sighs.

"Darling, aren't you hungry?"

Stiles looks at her and tries to smile. "I'm just not feeling well."

"Oh, I had hoped the crackers would work. They helped me with both of these two," she says as she points to her children.

"Crackers?" Stiles is completely confused.

"Yes, you've been eating crackers before you get up, haven't you? They really do help."

"Help with what?" Stiles asks, even though she really doesn't want to know the answer.

Laura butts in, "With the morning sickness, silly."

"Mor…" All the color drains from her face. "Morning sickness as in morning sickness?!"

"Yes, Stiles, what's wrong?" Mrs. Hale asks. Stiles makes a noise that is a mix of a gasp, a squeal, and the sound of dying wildlife. "Stiles?"

Derek grabs Stiles by the arm and pulls her up. "Excuse us for a minute." He hurries her into another room and shuts the door. Stiles screams in shock, and Derek quickly clamps his hand over her mouth. "Shh! They're going to think you're crazy!"

Stiles sucks in a shaky breath. "I cannot be pregnant!"

Derek puts his hands on her shoulders to try to stop her from shaking. "Breathe."

"This can't be happening. Oh my gosh. Oh. My. Gosh. We have to get out of here. This is a freakin' nightmare. Oh sweet mother of…"

"Stiles. Stiles, look at me." He puts his hands on her face and forces her to look at him. "Breathe, Stiles. Breathe."

Stiles' whole body is shaking. She places her hands on top of Derek's hands and breathes in. The breaths are labored, but she is slowly calming back down.

"Good. Keep breathing." Derek thumbs away a tear that is rolling down Stiles' cheek. "You're okay."

"No, I'm not. What did I do? Why do I deserve this? You get your family- your parents and sister. You get a world where the fire never happened. You get everything. What do I get? I'm a pregnant lady who doesn't even know where her dad is or where her friends are."

Derek frowns and pulls Stiles in to hug her again. "I'm sorry, babe. We'll get out of here, I promise." He kisses her forehead. "Yesterday was amazing for me, and I guess I forgot to think about you."

"I'm scared, Derek."

"We'll think of something. We'll find someone to help us, and we'll get back."

Stiles doesn't know how long they've been stuck in whatever place this is, but it has been a while- long enough for a baby bump to form. Stiles hates it. It's not normal. She's a guy, and she's stuck in a nightmare. She's going crazy here. She feels like she's the only sane one. Derek is complete absorbed in this world. He's enjoying it all so much that Stiles is getting scared they'll never get back.

Stiles grabs her phone and keys (she refuses to carry a purse), and heads for the door.

"Where are you going?" Derek asks as he hugs Stiles from behind and rests his hands on her stomach.

"I'm going to find Deaton." Stiles pulls away from him.

"Who?" When Derek had first stopped remembering what was real, Stiles had proceeded to have a panic attack. Now, she's used to it.

"Deaton. Dr. Alan Deaton. The vet. Derek, remember. He'll be able to get us home."

"We are home."

"No, we're not," she growls out. "Derek, you're losing touch with reality."

"Stiles, you talk and talk about this 'reality', but, if it were really real, don't you think I'd remember it?"

"You have to want to remember it, Der."

Stiles never finds Deaton. She never finds anyone who believes her. Months are going by and she can feel herself slipping. She's starting to forget things from reality, and she tries with all her might to stay sane. She doesn't want to be like Derek. She can't afford to forget. But, it's so much harder now… now that her mom is alive.

They're sitting on the couch at the Stilinski house. Stiles has her head resting on her mother's shoulder, and Derek's hand is resting on Stiles' small belly. They're looking at an old family photo album and laughing at the 'memories'. One picture grabs her attention. It's a picture of her as a little child with her arms wrapped around a little boy. "There! Derek, look. That's Scott. I told you there was a Scott."

"Such a poor little guy," Mrs. Stilinski whispers.

"Whataya mean?" Stiles asks.

"He went to live with his dad after his mom died. Such an abusive man."

Stiles frowns. Scott's mom didn't die, she… Uh-oh. She's let herself believe in all of this too much. No, scratch that. HE'S let HIMSELF believe in all of this too much.

"Derek, can I talk to you?" The pair stands up and goes into Stiles' childhood bedroom.

"What's wrong, babe? You look pale."

"I forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"What's real."

Derek sighs. "Oh Stiles. You haven't talked about that in a long time. I thought you'd gotten over that craziness."

"It's not craziness. Derek, I've loved all of this so much that I forgot what's real. It's been so great to see my mom; to see my mom and dad together. I've gotten to see you smile-like real, genuine smiles- not those face ones you give all the time. I… I don't even remember forgetting. Oh my gosh. Derek, what…" Her question is cut short by a strange thudding in her stomach. She gasps and clutches her belly.

"What's wrong?" Derek panics.

"What the heck was that?!" Stiles is clearly shocked.

"Did it kick? Oh wow, it kicked, didn't it? Where?" Derek is about ready to bounce out of the room in excitement.

"I…" Stiles is stunned when she feels the sensation again. "There. Right there." She places Derek's hand over the right spot. "I don't know if you can feel it or not. It's not that strong."

"Yeah, I can feel it… barely. It's barely there, but I can feel it."

"Wow." Stiles grins and Derek hugs her. She pulls away and grabs his hand- ready to drag him downstairs. "I gotta tell my mom."

"Wait. What were we talking about before the kick?"

"We… um… I can't remember." Stiles tugs on her husband's arm. "It must not have been too important. Come on."

Stiles runs down to her mother having completely forgotten the need to get home or even the fact that there is a 'home'.

…

"Deaton! We need your help." Erica busts through the door to the vet's office, nearly knocking it off its hinges.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. We were out hunting pixies. We split up, and now Derek and Stiles are gone. We can't find them anywhere."

"Were they hit with a charm?"

"I don't know. They were by themselves. We heard them yell each other's names and each of our groups ran toward the sound, but when we got there they weren't there. We looked for them, but we can't pick up a scent or any kind of trail."

Deaton frowns and grabs his jacket. "Take me to where you last saw them."

…

"Ooh, I like these." Stiles gushes as she picks up two frilly little dresses.

"We already have tons of dresses, babe. There's no way she'll ever wear them all." Derek is leaning over a cart that is overflowing.

"But they're so cute. Looky." She thrusts them into Derek's face.

"Yeah, cute. Whatever. Get 'em. If I don't let you now, you'll just come back and get them with your mom later."

"Thanks, Der." She kisses him as she throws them in the cart. "You know me so well. Ahh! Look at that! Derek, we have to get one of those." Stiles goes shuffling off to another display, and Derek begins to trail along behind her.

He can't help but let his eyes roam over to the boy's section. He really wanted a boy. He would know how to take care of a boy. He… "Stiles, don't lift that!"

"I'm fine. I got it. It's not that heavy." Stiles is happy, though, when Derek lifts it out of her arms.

He looks at the box. "We don't need this."

"Yes, we do. Look, it has everything we need to make our own baby food."

"They sell baby food."

"But Derrr-eeeeek!" Stiles whines. "This is betterrrrrr."

Derek mumbles something under his breath as he puts the machine in the cart. Stiles just claps her hands and hurries off to the next display.

…

Scott sees it first- Stiles' red jacket lying in the leaves. He runs to it and picks it up. Glittering sand falls from it, and he notices a glowing ring on the back of it. The magic debris makes his fingers tingle, but he refuses to let it go. This is the only thing he has of Stiles'. He won't let go of it until he sees Stiles and knows he is safe.

…

"Merry Christmas, babe," Derek hands Stiles a small wrapped gift. She takes it from him with a smile and quickly rips the paper off. It's a framed picture of them on their very first date.

"I love it. Thanks Der." She kisses him and then forces herself up off of the couch. She pads over to the tree. With difficulty, she bends over and picks up a gift. She shuffles back over to the couch and sits down by her husband. "This one's yours."

Derek eagerly opens it. He soon pulls out a black leather jacket. "I haven't had one of these since I was a little kid. Why'd you choose this for me?"

"Don't you like it?"

"Yeah, I love it. I just haven't told anyone that I wanted one."

"I saw it in the store window. It looked like you, so I got it."

"Thank you." Derek smiles as he kisses her. "Come on, we need to get out of our pajamas and into our clothes before our parents get here."

"Awww, but… Let's just sit here for another minute," Stiles protests. "The lights are so pretty and the fire's warm. Morning is my favorite part of Christmas."

"Okay, but just for a minute. They'll be here."

"Okay, okay. One minute." Stiles curls up beside Derek. She'd be content to stay like that forever, but Derek's right. They'll just rest for another minute. Then, they'll get ready for the busy day.

Twenty minutes later Derek opens his eyes and realizes they are still sitting on the couch. But, now there's a blanket wrapped around them. He shakes Stiles, and she opens her eyes and looks at him. "We fell asleep. Your parents are in the kitchen, and," he strains his neck to see out the window, "my parents are pulling up right now. Come on, let's get dressed."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Mrs. Stilinski says as she walks into the room. "Stay in your pajamas all day if you want to; no one minds."

Stiles stands up and hugs his mother. "Merry Christmas, Mom."

"Merry Christmas, baby," she bends over and kisses Stiles' tummy, "and baby."

"Mom…"

"What? Can't I kiss my grandchild hello?"

"I would prefer you to wait until she's born, but whatever." Stiles smiles. She breathes in deeply, "What's Dad cooking? Something smells amazing"

Mr. Stilinski leans his head out of the kitchen. "'Everything smells amazing' is what you should have said."

Stiles walks over to him. "Sorry Dad, I meant 'everything'."

"Sure you did."

"I did."

"Merry Christmas, kiddo."

"Merry Christmas, Dad." They hug and then step aside as the Hales enter the kitchen. Derek has a huge smile on his face as he steps over to Stiles.

"My mom made pumpkin pie! She hasn't made pumpkin pie since I was a little kid! It's so good! You have to try some of it." Derek grabs it and carries it over.

"Ah, ah, ah. You can both try it after lunch." Mrs. Hale takes the pie away from Derek.

"Oh please, Mom. Just a bite. Please." Derek curls his lip down and clasps his hands together. "Please."

"Oh, you and your puppy dog eyes… One bite."

"Yes!" Derek grabs two spoons and scoops out two huge bites. He eats his spoonful and moans. "It's so good. It's just like I remember it. Mom, you're amazing."

She pretends to curtsy and waves to the group. "Thank you, thank you."

"Stiles, try this." He holds the spoon out and feeds it to his wife.

"Oh my gosh, that's amazing." She smiles as she licks it clean. "You deserve an award or something."

"Thank you, Stiles, but the look on your face is reward enough for me."

Throughout the day Derek and Stiles both sneak into the kitchen to steal bites of the pie. One time even Sheriff Stilinski grabs a bite. Stiles and Derek are so full of pie by the time it is actually time to eat that they can barely force themselves to eat. Ok, that's a lie, they eat like pigs, but they really are pretty full. Stiles can't get enough of her mom's sweet potatoes. She hasn't made them since Stiles was a little kid, and even then it was for Thanksgiving only. Derek says he hates sweet potatoes, but Stiles finally convinces him to try some, and he eats a whole plateful.

The large group eats and opens present after present. Everyone gathers around for a group picture, and the day couldn't be better. It's amazing.

…

The pack still can't find their alpha and Stiles. They are searching frantically through the woods, but there is no sign of them.

Scott is on a trail though. There is a thin line of sand running through the forest. He knows that it has come from the pixies' charms, so he follows it. His heart drops when he sees the two of them lying on the ground. They're clearly unconscious and have been for a while. He takes a deep breath and howls- signaling his position to the rest of the pack.

…

"Five"

"Four"

"Three"

"Two"

"One"

Stiles and Derek lock their lips together and kiss passionately as the people around them begin to cheer. Laura comes up beside them and blows a paper horn in Derek's ear. He flinches and growls at her.

"Happy New Year, baby bro." She runs off before Derek can grab her and tackle her to the ground.

He looks back at his wife and kisses her again. "Happy New Year, Stiles."

"Happy New Year, Derek."

…

Erica is driving Deaton back to the Preserve when they hear the howl.

"They found them."

"You need me to take me to them."

In a few minutes, Erica's phone rings.

"Is Deaton with you?!" Allison's panicked voice comes through before Erica has even said 'hello'.

"Yeah, I'll put it on speaker."

The phone beeps and Deaton begins to speak. "What's wrong?" He can hear rustling and shouting in the background.

"Scott found them. They were unconscious and lying face down in the leaves. We… we turned them over and now they're shaking. Like, they're convulsing. We don't know what to do. It's bad. Their whole bodies are just… What's wrong with them?!"

Deaton speaks. "Were they touching before you moved them?"

"Scott, were they touching?" There is a pause before Allison responds. "Yeah, yeah, they were holding hands."

Deaton sighs. "That means they're together. Wherever they are, they're together. That's good. Allison, tell Scott to put their hands back together. Do it now."

"Scott! Put their hands back together! I don't know, just do it!" Erica holds her breath as the phone goes quiet. "Yeah, they're stopping." Allison speaks again. "They still aren't awake, but… but they're not shaking. Something's wrong with them. We… you have to help them."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. We're on our way."

"It's not good, is it?" Erica asks after the call has ended. "The pixies did something to them."

"They're being influenced by a charm. Magic can… can control them. Their bodies are here, but their minds are somewhere else. We have to break the pixies' power before it's too late."

"Why would the pixies do that to them? We just wanted them off the territory. We weren't even being that mean…"

"Pixies are playful, and help those that they like, but they can be tricksters and mess with those they don't like."

Erica waits for more, but Deaton doesn't seem like he's planning on speaking anytime soon. She is frustrated that he won't tell her anything anymore, but doesn't say anything because they need him to help. They drive on in silence for the rest of the journey.

…

Stiles is standing beside Derek as he paints the wall in the baby room. He looks over at her, and she is just standing there.

"If you're not going to help, please sit down."

"I'm helping. I'm making sure you don't get side tracked. Our baby needs this room to be finished."

"It'll be finished. We have time." Derek puts down the paint roller and leads Stiles out of the room.

"Oh come on, you're kicking me out?"

"You can't see any more until it's done."

"You're killing me." Stiles watches as Derek rolls his eyes. "Just know that. You're killing me."

"It's a surprise."

Stiles paces back and forth in the hallway for the next half hour. Derek knocks on the door, almost scaring Stiles to death, and tells her to sit down. She does, for a while, but she soon goes back and stands by the door again. Derek finally opens the door.

"Let me see it!"

Derek steps out of the way and lets Stiles enter.

"Oh my gosh, you're heart's full of fluff." Stiles looks around the room. "You hand painted these?"

"Like 'em?"

Derek has spent half the day hand painting little bunnies around the baseboards of the room.

"It's amazing, Der." Stiles hugs Derek and kisses him. "Thank you. It's perfect."

…

Deaton runs into the clearing. This has to be bad; Scott has never seen him in such a hurry before.

"What did they do to them?!" Scott yells. He's so scared. He just wants them to be okay.

"They're stuck. Their minds are in a world of their own. I need to get them to understand that they need to come back. If they both agree to come back, the magic will be broken."

Deaton kneels down and separates the two boys' hands. He holds one in each hand as they immediately begin to tense and shake violently. Derek, on his right, is shaking and convulsing much more than Stiles is. He's deeper into the alternate world. He joins their hands back and moves closer to Stiles. He's the strongest. It has to be him.

"Stiles."

…

Derek is standing near Stiles as she leans against the kitchen table. Her face is scrunched up in pain, but she still looks beautiful. She yelps as another contraction hits and squeezes Derek's hand until it passes.

The doctor said not to come in to the hospital until the contractions were closer together. Labor can last quite a while after all; no need to be stuck in the hospital for longer than necessary. But, it's all so nerve-wracking that they'd both rather be at the hospital right now.

Derek has no idea what it feels like to be in labor, but it must be bad. Stiles has always been such a strong woman and the waves of pain are reducing her to whimpers and moans. A contraction has just ended when Stiles hears a strange ringing in her ears. She shakes her head a bit, but it doesn't help. Her eyes begin to close as she feels something pulling on her consciousness. She hears her name being called, and she feels weak. Her legs give out from underneath her, and she feels Derek grab her just as everything goes black.

…

"Stiles," Deaton says in a commanding voice as he holds onto Stiles' shoulders, "it is imperative that you listen to me. There will be a life changing event coming up." He sighs and mutters 'if we're not too late' under his breath. "It could be a wedding or a move. Graduation, surgery, anything. That event really will change your life forever. Both of you must agree to come back before the event takes place, or you'll be stuck there forever. We don't know if you're someplace good or someplace bad. Most likely it's good; those charms are much stronger- harder to break. You have to realize it isn't real. None of it. Remember your family and friends here. We need the both of you. You need to wake up before it's too late."

Deaton stands up and backs away from the two unconscious men.

"What…" Scott clears his throat when he hears how high pitched and scared it sounds. "What do we do now?"

"We wait."

…

Everything seems so loud. Stiles can hear a steady beeping and the sound of voices even though the words are muffled. She slowly opens her eyes and blinks against the bright light. It's probably not even that bright because it's one of those nice little shaded lights attached to the wall behind the hospital bed. The room is dim, but it feels like it's blazing with the brightness of the sun. She moves her right hand up from where it was resting on her stomach and looks at it. The tape holding the IV in place is making the pale skin roll together and pucker. It feels tight and moving to much pulls it painfully.

The first thing she thinks of is 'wasn't I just talking to Deaton?' He was… something was wrong and… Wait… OW… ow, ow, ow!

Stiles' sharp intake of breath wakes Derek up. He rises up from where he has been resting his head by his wife's left arm. "Stiles, babe, thank God you're okay. You scared me half to death." Derek leans forward and kisses her forehead.

Stiles reaches up and cups her hand around Derek's cheek. "Birth is a life changing event, isn't it?"

Derek smiles and nods. "Yeah, I'd say it is."

"Then, I'm not okay."

"It's a little late to be scared of birth. They're prepping you for a c-section as soon as they know you're okay." Derek reaches over the side of the bed and pushed the nurse's call button.

"No, Derek, wait." Stiles pulls his hand back.

Derek can see the panic in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"This isn't real."

Derek drops his head. "Oh, Stiles." He closes his eyes. "I'm going to get you help."

"No, Der, listen to me."

"As soon as this baby's born…" Derek swallows and places his hand on her belly before finishing, "we're getting you help."

"No." Stiles doesn't know when she started to cry but now she feels the tears on her cheeks.

"This has gone on for too long. There's something wrong."

"Yes, something's wrong, but it's not me. I'm not crazy." Stiles pleads for Derek to listen to her. "I heard Deaton. He… he warned me. He told me I had to remember what's real. Der, this… all of this… none of it's real. We have to get back before I have this baby, or we'll be stuck here."

"This is real."

"No, no it's not. You gotta believe me. You have to. I want to go home. Not everything is good there. Things are so messed up actually, but at least it's real."

"Babe, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, I do. Finally, I realize what's going on again. We have to get back before it's too late. You gotta believe me. Please! I wanna go home. I want my dad. I want my friends. I love you, Derek, but if I have to go back to you threatening to rip my throat out on a weekly basis, so be it."

Derek looks pained. "Stiles, I would never do that."

"Yes, you would," Stiles sobs, "because you're a sourwolf with no better way to express your emotions." Derek moves the hair from her face and tries to calm her down. "Please, I'm a guy, Derek. You're a werewolf, and we act like we hate each other, but we protect each other. I secretly have the biggest crush on you, and I've been dying to ask you if you find me attractive since the day I first met you."

A nurse rushes into the room and messes with some of the machines. "Mrs. Hale, you need to calm down. Your heart is racing. The baby doesn't need any additional stress."

"It's not real, Derek. You have to listen to me. Believe me."

"How do you expect me to believe this? It's crazy."

"Trust me. I know that's hard for you after what happened to your family, but please trust me. We were chasing pixies. Well, actually we were running away from them, but anyways… They hit us with a spell or a charm or something." Stiles feels a contraction coming, so she stops speaking until it is over. "This is a spell. None of this is real."

Suddenly there are more nurses in the room getting ready to take Stiles to surgery, and Stiles is absolutely hysterical.

…

All of the wolves can hear the frantic beating of Stiles' heart.

"What's happening? What's wrong with him?" Scott asks Deaton as he holds Stiles' free hand. He's completely helpless. His best friend is on the verge of a heart attack, and he can't do anything.

"He's fighting to get back."

"That's a good thing, right?" Lydia questions. "It means he heard you."

"It means this big idiot," Deaton points to Derek, "isn't listening to him."

"What happens if Derek doesn't believe him?" Scott asks.

"They'll both be stuck in their own minds, in the world the pixies created with their charms."

"There has to be a way we can help them! Derek won't believe him; he doesn't believe anybody when they tell him something."

"Stiles is smart. He may think of something."

"May? Oh yeah, that makes me feel better."

…

Stiles is screaming for Derek to believe her, to trust her because she wants to go home, and Derek is being pulled aside by a nurse.

"Mr. Hale, I know this is a little scary…"

"A little scary? Yeah, it's a little scary. It's a lot scary. My wife has completely lost her mind!"

"She's probably just scared about the surgery."

Derek shakes his head. "This isn't how normal women react to having a baby."

"It will be okay. But what I wanted to talk about was… Mr. Hale, for the safety of both Stiles and the baby, we may need to sedate him."

"Okay. Okay, do it."

"NO! Derek! Please, you gotta believe me!" She begs. "You have to believe me. Der, Der, no, no, please! I don't want to be stuck here! This isn't real! This isn't real!"

One nurse starts to give her some sedatives, and Stiles completely goes nuts. She punches one nurse in the face and kicks another in the stomach. She is holding them off fairly well until the contraction hits. Stiles screams as they pin her arms and legs down and administer the medicine.

"No, no, no, NO!" She screams.

Derek will never be able to erase those horrified screams from his memory. They'll be etched there and forever haunt him. Within a few minutes, Stiles isn't fighting anymore. Her head has fallen back on the pillow, and her body is slumped in the bed. She is still silently sobbing and breathlessly begging Derek.

"Please, Der. Please. I wanna go home. I wanna go home. Please, Der, this isn't real. You believe me, right? You believe me. You have to. You have to because I want to go home. Derek. Derek, please. This isn't real. I just wanna go home."

Derek can't take it. This is all too much, and he feels like he's going to pass out. "Ma'am, is there a place I can sit down?"

"Sure. I'll take you to the waiting room. We'll come back and get you when she's ready."

The nurse leads Derek out to the waiting room. All of his family is waiting there. Stiles' parents are there, too. He sits down and puts his head in his hands.

"What's wrong, Derek?"

Derek shakes his head. "She went nuts. She woke up, and… she started screaming and crying. I don't know. It was horrible. She was begging me, and I wanted to believe her, but I… I don't know."

His mother rubs her hand up and down his back. He keeps thinking about what Stiles said. "She truly believes what she was saying. She was so desperate for me to believe her." Derek runs Stiles' words through his mind.

A pang of guilt hits him deep in his stomach when he thinks back to consenting for Stiles to be sedated. She was so scared. But it was for the best, right? The nurse said 'for the safety of both Stiles and the baby, we may need to sedate him.' Derek freezes. "Him?" His eyes snap open. "The nurse said 'him'."

"What are you talking about?" Mr. Stilinski asks.

"The nurse was talking about sedating Stiles, and she said 'him'." Derek stands up with the intention of finding the nurse. He steps forward, and his shoe slides on the tile. He lands on the floor with a thud. His parents rush to him and help him sit up. He looks around to see what he slipped on and sees a layer of sand coating the floor. It's an iridescent tan color.

Looking at it, he remembers waking up in a tan room and trying to get Stiles to stop panicking. He reaches out and touches the sand, and he remembers hanging off the side of a cliff and Stiles accidently kicking dirt into his face.

Derek looks up at the people surrounding him. "This isn't real. Oh my gosh. None of this is real."

"Derek, honey, I think you hit your head," his mother soothes.

"No…" Derek stands up and starts running down the hallway. There is sand covering absolutely everything, and his feet sink down into it as he runs. "Stiles!" Derek keeps running, but it is like the whole hospital has turned into a giant maze. "Stiles!" he screams. He can't find her/him, but he keeps going and keeps yelling. "Stiles, I believe you! I'll get you back; I promise! I believe you."

Something knocks Derek to the ground, and he can hear a baby crying as everything goes black.

…

The whole pack jumps when Derek gasps and jerks back to life. He tries to sit up, but he feels woozy.

"Derek, don't sit up. Lie back and rest." Deaton tries to keep Derek down.

"Stiles? No, let me go. Where's Stiles?" He looks over and sees a still unconscious Stiles lying next to him. "Stiles?!" Derek pulls away from Deaton and leans over Stiles. "Stiles?" He turns to the pack. "Why isn't he waking up?"

"Did the event take place? - The life changing event?"

"Yeah… yeah, but I'm back. I woke up."

"Deaton," Scott begs, "please don't tell me my best friend is stuck there."

"Was there a difference between the two of you during the end, before you woke up?" Deaton asks.

"He was drugged. They were taking him, and I… I left him."

"If you weren't together that means he wasn't able to connect to you when you woke up," the vet explains.

"This is all my fault. If I had listened…" Derek turns back to Stiles. "If I had listened to you… Stiles." He puts his hand on his cheek. "Babe, please wake up."

No one has the time to question the way Derek is acting because they're too worried about Stiles.

"Stiles, please wake up." He leans down and places their foreheads together. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Babe, please wake up."

When Derek opens his eyes there are a pair of brown eyes looking back. He smiles in relief and gently kisses him.

"Um…" Scott expresses what everyone is thinking.

Deaton holds up his hand in front of the pack. "They've been through a lot. The residual magic will wear off soon."

"I thought I was going to lose you," Derek admits.

"I thought I was going to be stuck there, but you believed me. Why?"

"Because I trust you."

Stiles grins from ear to ear and wraps his arms around Derek. Derek pulls him up and holds him. They don't let go.

Epilogue

Deaton looks up to see the whole Hale pack standing in the office. He turns to look, and the sign on the door is in fact turned to 'closed'. He stands in front of them. "Yes?"

"We have a problem," Scott begins. "It's been a month since the pixies, and Derek and Stiles are still acting weird. They're always together. They're constantly hugging and kissing and… other things, and it's weird."

"Do you have a problem with that?"

Scott's eyes go wide. "No. I mean… That's not…"

"What he meant to say," Erica speaks up, "is that it's not like them- especially Derek. He never smiled or laughed before, and, now, that's all he does."

"They hated each other before this happened," Scott reminds Deaton.

"Did they?" He watches as the pack looks at each other. "They just didn't trust each other. They wouldn't let themselves take a chance on each other. The charm changed that. They let themselves take a chance. You'll just have to get used to them being together."

"But, the magic… you said it would wear off."

"It wore off that same night when they went home and showered the rest of the sand off. Magic can be powerful; you saw how powerful it is when Stiles almost didn't make it back. But, love and trust are much stronger that any magic could ever be."


End file.
